The school beauty is aloof? Whatever, she has a younger sister.

Chapter 33 is a cover-up [Please read on!] [Happy New Year's Eve!]

At 8 p.m., the bell rang on time to end evening self-study.

Zhang Muchen closed the novel interface.

He and Chu Youting only chatted for a few minutes at the beginning of evening self-study. Later, Chu Youting said she wanted to continue studying and stopped chatting.

He opened WeChat and sent a message to Chu Youting.

Don't forget about the New Year's Eve party!

The screen went silent after the message was sent. Chu Youting was probably still engrossed in her studies and didn't reply immediately.

Zhang Muchen yawned lazily and stretched his stiff neck.

Just then, Wang Shishi suddenly turned around and looked at him with a grin: "Dude, my mom can't pick me up tonight, can I hitch a ride on your electric scooter to get home?"

She lived in an upscale neighborhood, which happened to be on Zhang Muchen's way home. So Zhang Muchen would occasionally give her a ride.

“No problem.” Zhang Muchen nodded.

"Thanks." Wang Shishi smiled and her eyes crinkled, then she stood up and patted Chu Jiuli's table: "Jiuli, I'm leaving now!"

Chu Jiuli was working on her homework and simply mumbled an "Mmm".

Zhang Muchen slung his backpack over his shoulder. Before leaving, his gaze swept over Chu Jiuli's desk, landing on the English test paper she was working on.

He glanced at the options for the cloze test, his gaze lingering on Chu Jiuli's answer D for a second, before casually saying, "The answer to this question is C."

Chu Jiuli's pen stopped in mid-air, and she paused for a moment.

She had already ruled out A and B, and struggled for a long time between C and D. Initially, she planned to choose C, but later hesitated and changed her mind to D.

Chu Jiuli frowned, took out the answer book, and quickly flipped to the correct answer to the question.

Answer: C.

She pursed her lips, gripped the pen tip with a slight force, and her fingers turned slightly white.

English is indeed my Achilles' heel.

Chu Jiuli took a deep breath and memorized the correct answer. She knew very well that if she wanted to become the top student in her grade and get into Tsinghua or Peking University, she had to improve her English as soon as possible.

Just as she was slightly lost in thought, Zhang Muchen suddenly spoke up: "Do you need me to explain it to you?"

Chu Jiuli looked at him with some surprise, her eyes flickered, and then she nodded slightly.

Zhang Muchen bent down, picked up a red pen from her desk, and circled a sentence on the test paper.

"Look at the context below, it means that something very important was done, so 'a big deal' should be chosen."

Zhang Muchen's gaze lingered on the exam paper, his pen circling the key points as he explained.

His earnest way of explaining the problem contrasted sharply with his usual carefree attitude, making Chu Jiuli feel a little uncomfortable for a moment.

“You didn’t understand because you didn’t grasp the context.” Zhang Muchen circled a few more words in the sentence. “These words are key; go back and memorize them.”

"Hmm..." Chu Jiuli responded softly.

Classroom door.

Wang Shishi was about to urge Zhang Muchen to hurry up, but when she inadvertently turned around and saw this scene, she stopped in her tracks.

Zhang Muchen rested one hand on Chu Jiuli's desk, leaning slightly towards her test paper, and explained the material earnestly.

Chu Jiuli also lowered her head, looking at him with a slightly absent gaze.

Good heavens, what classic scene is this from a campus novel?
I'm hooked!

Wang Shishi excitedly covered her mouth and chuckled, then quickly took out her phone to capture the moment.

At this moment, Zhang Muchen stopped writing: "Did I explain it clearly?"

"Hmm... I understand, thank you." Chu Jiuli nodded, her eyes less cold than usual.

Zhang Muchen straightened up: "Improving your English is actually quite simple; the key is memorizing vocabulary. However, I suggest you don't always be too tense; it's also important to relax occasionally."

Chu Jiuli was taken aback: "Relax?"

Zhang Muchen picked up his schoolbag, turned his back to Chu Jiuli, and said as he walked, "That's right. For example, listening to songs and singing. My English level improved by combining work and rest."

He walked to the door and waved: "Have a nice weekend."

Chu Jiuli looked up at Zhang Muchen's back, said nothing, and just watched him leave silently.

However, as soon as Zhang Muchen reached the corridor, he suddenly snatched the phone from Wang Shishi's hand.

"Dude! Don't delete it! Give it back to me!" Wang Shishi yelled and lunged at Zhang Muchen.

"Waaah, buddy, give it back to me." She drawled out the sound, her tone almost pleading. "Bro, you dare to pat me with your dog paws?"

Zhang Muchen held up her phone, responding as she ran down the corridor.

The sounds of the two laughing and joking drifted from the doorway into the hallway, then gradually faded into the stairwell, finally disappearing into silence.

The classroom fell silent again, and Chu Jiuli slowly lowered her head, recalling what Zhang Muchen had just said.

Don't be too tense, and take appropriate breaks.

She let out a soft breath and put the pen in her pencil case. Then she glanced at the test paper on the table, her gaze falling on the words and sentences marked in red.

"This guy... he's actually a decent person when he's serious."

Chu Jiuli thought to herself silently.

But was Zhang Muchen really being serious just now?

He covered it up.

He was merely using the opportunity of guiding the test questions to slip in his own ideas, promoting his so-called "listening to music, singing, and balancing work and rest" theory, all to pave the way for Chu Youting.

All of this was to make Chu Jiuli less averse to the New Year's Eve party and to make her feel that the New Year's Eve party was not something that would interfere with her studies.

……

Road, electric bikes.

Zhang Muchen twisted the handle and drove at a snail's pace of 25 km/h, the fastest speed allowed under the new national standard.

Sometimes, he really misses the old, beat-up electric scooter his family had five years ago. Even though the shell was rotten and the headlight was out, it was incredibly fast.

Men spend their entire lives pursuing speed.

Except when in bed.

In the back seat, Wang Shishi wrapped her arms around Zhang Muchen's waist. In the cold wind, the tip of her nose and cheeks were already slightly red from the cold.

"Dude, it's so cold. Can I lean against your back?"

"Whatever," Zhang Muchen replied.

"Dude, are you really that cold to a pretty girl's invitation to get a kiss?" Wang Shishi pouted.

Zhang Muchen: "I'm indifferent to flat-chested beauties. I wouldn't even feel you if you came close."

Wang Shishi: "What if Jiu Li sat in the back? Hers is big."

Zhang Muchen: "Are you talking about buttocks?"

Wang Shishi: ? ? ?

Zhang Muchen: "I haven't paid attention to that spot. Besides, my butt is too big to fit in the back seat."

Wang Shishi was speechless and completely convinced. She simply stopped talking to Zhang Muchen and leaned against his back, wrapping her arms around his waist.

However, Wang Shishi couldn't help but wonder: what exactly is the relationship between these two?

One moment the atmosphere was tense and fraught with danger, the next they were secretly meeting in a room.

It's really baffling...

Just as she was lost in thought, Zhang Muchen suddenly slammed on the brakes on a downhill slope.

"what!"

Wang Shishi exclaimed in surprise and reflexively hugged Zhang Muchen tightly, almost pressing herself against his back and not daring to move.

The electric vehicle's tires screeched violently against the ground, making a piercing sound, before finally coming to a steady stop after three seconds.

Wang Shishi patted her chest, took a breath, and after regaining her senses, she punched Zhang Muchen with her little pink fist without hesitation.

"Dude, are you doing this on purpose? Trying to take advantage of me with this sudden braking maneuver, huh?"

Zhang Muchen turned his head, his expression calm: "Stop talking nonsense, get out of the car and get ready to pay."

???

You're taking advantage of me and expecting me to pay?
Just as she was about to punch Zhang Muchen a few more times, she heard a deep and serious male voice coming from ahead.

"Riding an electric bike without a helmet is a 50 yuan fine. You two, take out your ID cards."

"..."

P.S.: Happy Lunar New Year's Eve everyone! (*σ`)σ
(End of this chapter)